


My Fire, My Reason

by songsforfelurian



Series: Keep the Fire Going for Me [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Canon Compliant, Come as Lube, Confident Keith (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Keith has subtle xenobio traits, M/M, Multiple Orgasms, Rimming, Shiro bottoms in this part, Sweet/Hot, aftermath of Myzax and Sendak, also they're in love, takes place on Arus before the castleship launches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:35:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28553229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songsforfelurian/pseuds/songsforfelurian
Summary: This is a bonus chapter for my longer fic, "Keep the Fire Going for Me," but it can be read as a stand alone fic as well! In this version of events, Keith and Shiro admitted their feelings to each other before Kerberos and started their relationship in Keith's cabin after he rescued Shiro from the Garrison. This fic immediately follows "The Fall of the Castle of Lions" (S1E4) and explores the aftermath of their battles with Myzax and Sendak.---"I know you probably have questions," Shiro says. He's holding one of Keith's hands in his lap. "I want to tell you everything I remember, Keith, but… I also need to keep it together. For the team. I’m honestly not sure what’ll happen if I start talking about all of it."Keith takes this in. Shiro has always been honest with him, but he hasn't always been forthcoming. This is a relatively new dimension of their relationship.Shiro is admitting to a vulnerability."I'll help you keep it together out there," Keith says, nodding toward his door. "But in here… I'm your partner."
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: Keep the Fire Going for Me [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081394
Comments: 20
Kudos: 109





	My Fire, My Reason

Keith lays on his back on the floor. He’s in his quarters on the Castle of Lions, which feels cold and sterile compared to his cabin in the desert, much like the Garrison had when he'd first arrived there. By his best estimation, he hasn’t slept in at least two days, and despite the absolute exhaustion that has him pinned motionless to the floor, he knows he won’t be getting into bed anytime soon.

He hasn’t spent a single night with Shiro since they got here, not since that first and only night in the cabin, and Keith would rather sleep on the floor than get in bed without Shiro again.

He has no idea if that will be possible tonight. The last time he saw Shiro, Allura and Coran had just finished sealing him inside a healing pod to help him recover from their most recent battle. Shiro took a beating at Sendak’s hands, Keith knows. He was knocked unconscious and zapped with some kind of energy beam that made him scream so loudly, Pidge said it sounded like he was being tortured. And if Keith hadn’t been there in the end, when Sendak was about to strike at Shiro again-

_No._

Keith closes his eyes and reminds himself to breathe. He can’t think about what might’ve happened then. He can’t dwell on it. Shiro wouldn’t want that.

He tries to force his attention away from the worst of his fears, with minimal success. He and the rest of the Paladins fought Myzax and Sendak within the span of two days with no time for rest in between, and Keith is feeling the strain of it. It’s physical, a bone-deep weariness that has him feeling like he’s being pulled to the floor by a gravity well… and it’s emotional, too.

Shiro faced Myzax before, or some other monster like him. He remembered it from his time as a Galra prisoner. He remembered how to _fight_ him.

Keith can’t stop himself from thinking about the implications.

He thinks of the scar that lays across the bridge of Shiro’s nose.

He wonders if Myzax is the one who gave it to him.

He glances at the viewscreen that’s embedded in his wall, but he can’t read the clock. He doesn’t understand the Altean numerals, so he has no idea how long it’s been since Allura ordered him to leave Shiro’s side and get some sleep. She doesn’t know what they mean to each other, and Keith thinks it should stay that way for now… but he also thinks he should be there when Shiro wakes up. He could see the invisible walls Shiro started to build around himself as soon as they learned about Voltron and the mission they’ve been tasked with, and he knows why those walls are necessary.

Shiro is his commander. Shiro has to lead. Keith and Hunk and Lance and Pidge are a misfit bunch of underqualified trainees at best, and Shiro is the only person who could possibly hold them together as a team.

Shiro might be the only person alive who can save the whole world… and Keith is the person Shiro loves. Keith doesn't doubt the promises they made to each other in the cabin, but he knows the game has changed. He needs to see Shiro. He needs to show him that they still belong, that they can fight this war _together._

He sits up suddenly, sensing movement in the hallway. He frowns. He hadn’t actually _heard_ anything, but he knows someone is there, and he has no idea why he’s so certain… but he’d bet his life that that person is Shiro.

There’s a soft knock at his door.

Keith leaps to his feet and taps the panel in the wall to open it.

Shiro is there, wearing a soft smile that has Keith's throat tightening up.

"You're okay?" he blurts, without finesse. "Shiro? You're alright?"

Shiro nods and steps past him to enter his room. Keith taps the door shut again.

"Good as new," Shiro says, showing Keith his palms- one human, flesh and blood, the other an alien prosthetic that was forced upon him.

"I tried to stay," Keith says. "Allura ordered me out."

Shiro smiles.

“She told me. She said you looked dead on your feet… but I had a feeling you wouldn't be sleeping."

“No. I couldn’t sleep until… um. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Shiro’s expression turns serious. He moves his shoulders, like he's gearing up for some kind of offensive strike... and then he strides forward and scoops Keith up in a hug that's so all-consuming, Keith’s feet leave the floor.

"I missed you," Shiro says. "I'm sorry we haven’t had time."

Keith lays his head on Shiro's shoulder and holds him tight.

"I missed you too," he admits. "I know it's been a lot. Sendak, and… Myzax."

Shiro makes an affirmative sound. He sets Keith back on the floor and leads him to the bunk, where they sit down side by side.

"I know you probably have questions," Shiro says. He's holding one of Keith's hands in his lap. "I want to tell you everything I remember, Keith, but… I also need to keep it together. For the team. I’m honestly not sure what’ll happen if I start talking about all of it."

Keith takes this in. Shiro has always been honest with him, but he hasn't always been forthcoming. This is a relatively new dimension of their relationship.

Shiro is admitting to a vulnerability.

"I'll help you keep it together out there," Keith says, nodding toward his door. "But in here… I'm your partner."

Shiro looks at him.

He looks healthy enough. The healing pod did its job well. But Keith can see fatigue lingering around Shiro’s eyes. He can see the turmoil Shiro is trying to hide.

"I was a gladiator," Shiro finally says. "I had to fight to stay alive. I had to… kill."

Keith feels like he could retch. The image is sickening, barbaric. Keith learned about the gladiators of ancient Rome, the countless souls that were brutally sacrificed in the Colosseum for the trivial entertainment of the masses. It's abhorrent, horrifying, thinking of Shiro being enslaved and _abused_ for such a purpose.

His brave, proud, noble Shiro. His love.

Keith swallows hard and reaches up to touch Shiro's cheek.

"You were a prisoner," he says. "You had no choice."

"I did have a choice," Shiro answers. "I didn't have to fight. I could've just let them…"

"No." Keith squeezes his hand. "That's not a real choice, Shiro. You know that."

"Do I?" Shiro shrugs a little. "Do I deserve to be alive more than those people I--"

His voice falters. He looks away.

Keith hears what he isn't saying.

Sometimes Shiro fought monsters like Myzax, beasts with no soul and no purpose other than destruction and death…

And sometimes, he took lives he might've otherwise protected.

He's grieving for them, Keith knows. He's mourning.

He's tearing himself apart with guilt.

It's not the sort of thing Keith can explain away. It's not something that can be fixed. Not all at once, anyway.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," Keith says. "But I'll never be sorry that you survived. I'll never be sorry that you made it home to me."

Shiro wipes at his face with his prosthetic hand.

"Me neither," he says softly. "I told you it was worth it. My life… my life with _you_ … I meant all that. It's just…"

"It hurts," Keith says. "You know why?" He guides Shiro's chin back until they're looking at each other again. "Because you're still _you,_ Shiro. Because you're _good_."

Shiro's eyebrows draw together.

"Keith, I think I--" His voice breaks. He clears his throat. "I think I need you."

Keith searches his face, trying to figure out what he's asking for. It doesn't take long.

Shiro looks the same way he had in the cabin.

_Come to bed,_ he'd said then.

Keith nods.

"I need you, too," he says.

Shiro blinks heavily. He looks relieved.

He looks lost… and Keith feels a surge of confidence, a spark of hope that all can be well between them.

He can do this. He was born for it.

The fatigue of combat and days without sleep falls away as he rises slowly from the bed and stands between Shiro's knees.

"Don't worry," he says. "I'll take care of you, love."

Shiro looks up at him and makes a faraway sound, somewhere in the back of his throat, and Keith knows he's on the right track.

He takes hold of the zipper at the top of Shiro's vest and pulls it down until the fabric spreads apart.

He slips his hands underneath it and pushes it off of Shiro's shoulders.

Shiro moves for him easily, obediently… and that makes the hopeful fire inside Keith burn up to a blaze.

He grasps at the bottom of Shiro's shirt and follows the upward movement of his arms to pull it off him.

Then he takes a breath, tugs his own shirt off over his head, and drops it on top of Shiro's on the floor.

He rests his hands around Shiro's neck and strokes affectionately with his thumbs while they watch each other's eyes. He touches his way down to Shiro's shoulders and _presses_ into the tension there.

Shiro exhales. His eyes fall shut for a moment.

"I tried to come here that first night we came to Arus," Shiro says. "Pidge caught me. He had his setup plugged into the wall down the hall near his quarters. He asked if there was some kind of emergency…" He sighs, his shoulders dropping noticeably as Keith rubs into a sore spot on his right side. He opens his eyes. "I couldn't think of an excuse, and I couldn't figure out how to tell you. I still don't know if our text chat is really secure."

Keith nods.

"It's okay," he murmurs. "You know I'll wait for you when I need to."

Shiro tilts his head and kisses the inside of Keith's forearm.

"I don't want to make you wait," he says.

Keith's breathing goes uneven. The urge to bury his face in Shiro's neck is almost uncontrollable. He wants to smell his skin, to taste the flavor of his body. He wants to hear the sounds Shiro only makes for him.

He's been feeling hypervigilant ever since they got here, his instincts and senses unusually sharpened- and he feels those instincts going haywire with Shiro finally in his space. Shiro opened himself up to him. Shiro admitted his need.

Shiro is sitting shirtless on his bed looking _up_ at him, making no move to claim the upper hand. Everything he's said and done so far can be translated as: _take me._

Keith doesn't know how he knows this. Aside from the hints Shiro has given him, he can _sense_ it, like a thickness in the air, or a scent he doesn't have a name for. It's new and thrilling and it has Keith's dick fully hard inside his jeans.

He brings one hand to Shiro's cheek and lets his thumb rest on his lower lip.

"Lay down," he says. It's a gentle command, but a command nonetheless.

Shiro kisses his thumb and obeys.

He lays himself out on the bunk with his head on Keith's pillow and one knee casually bent. He looks at Keith innocently, but Keith can tell he's posing. He wants Keith to look.

And Keith knows, instinctively, that Shiro wants to look at him too.

He unbuttons his jeans and pulls down on his zipper, taking his time with it, watching Shiro's eyes. He didn't miss the way Shiro explored his body with his hands and his mouth in the cabin, lingering again and again at his back, his chest, his shoulders. Shiro likes that he's bigger, stronger.

Shiro likes how he looks, how he feels.

Keith pushes his jeans and briefs down from his hips. He takes care with his cock, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs to uncover himself, and he can see Shiro's eyes lock onto his erection as soon as it's in full view.

Keith's confidence grows. He isn't wrong about this. They haven't talked about it, haven't planned it, but he knows what Shiro wants.

"Sweetheart," Shiro says, not even trying to hide the way his eyes are traveling over Keith's body. "You're gorgeous."

Keith pushes his clothes down to his ankles and pulls them off, then moves to the foot of the bed to remove Shiro's boots.

"I should've chosen _sweetheart_ for you," he says, dropping one boot onto the floor. "Everything you say to me is… pretty."

"Because you deserve it."

"So do you." Keith drops the other boot. He lets his eyes run up the length of Shiro's body… then slips onto the bed with him. He moves until he's straddling Shiro's waist and hovering over him, bracing one forearm on the pillow right next to his head.

It feels good to be atop him like this. It feels right.

It feels like it's what Shiro wants. He can taste it in the air… and he can see it written in Shiro's heavy-lidded expression.

"You're beautiful," Keith tells him. "I think you're the most beautiful person there's ever been."

He hardly thinks Shiro can argue the point, since he's naked and hard and on top of him in bed… but Shiro gives it a try anyway.

"Still?" he asks, raising his prosthetic hand into the small space between them.

He's legitimately asking.

Keith thinks of the easy confidence Shiro had at the Garrison. He was, by far, the most stunning person in the place, and even though Keith never saw him get overly cocky about it, Shiro was always self-assured, always comfortable in his own skin. He took pride in how he looked. He took care in how he dressed his body. He'd been happy, being _Shiro._

Keith wants him to feel that way again.

"More than ever," he says.

He gives in to instinct.

He leans down, opens his mouth, and lets his teeth scrape against Shiro's cheek. He kisses him there, then nips him again, indulging, breathing in his scent. He presses their faces together.

"More beautiful than ever," he sighs.

Shiro lets out a shaking breath underneath him.

"Keith…"

His hands settle onto Keith's hips. His fingers _squeeze._

"Shiro…" Keith kisses his face, nuzzles into his hair. "I want to make you feel good. Do you want me to do that?"

Shiro nods. His mouth is on Keith's neck.

"Yes."

Keith licks underneath Shiro's ear. He tastes familiar. He tastes like home, like the salt of the sea.

Keith takes a gamble.

"Do you want me to fuck you?"

Shiro's hands tighten on his hips. He makes a muffled, groaning sound.

"God, Keith… _yes."_

Keith sighs into Shiro's neck. He kisses him there, sucks on his skin, swipes with his tongue.

"I will," he says. "I'll make you feel good, love. Will you let me do one thing first?"

"Anything," Shiro breathes.

He sounds like he means it.

Keith finds his eyes. He nips _hard_ at Shiro's lower lip… and Shiro _moans_ and grinds up against him in answer.

That's all the confirmation Keith needs.

He reaches between them to unfasten Shiro’s belt.

He works his fingers inside the waistband of Shiro's leggings and starts to tug them down.

He kisses Shiro hard, then deep, licking into his mouth with a surge of self-assurance he's never felt before.

"I missed you…" He licks and nibbles at Shiro's mouth. "I missed how you smell, I missed how you taste..." He kisses Shiro again, dragging his leggings down to his upper thighs. He curls their tongues together, savoring… then kisses Shiro with a little more sweetness.

"You gonna let me taste you?" he asks. He already knows he has permission… but he also knows Shiro likes to hear him talk.

"Please," Shiro begs. He has one hand in Keith's hair now. His fingers drag up and down the back of Keith's neck. "Please, baby…"

Keith presses their foreheads together, prolonging that closeness… then moves down Shiro's body to rid him of the rest of his clothes. He pulls his belt, leggings and briefs off and drops them onto the floor, adding to the pile of their combined clothing. He kneels between his legs and rests his palms on Shiro's thighs for a moment, taking in the sight of him, feeling more than a little intoxicated. He's never actually been drunk, but he's done enough stunts in a jet to recognize an altered state, and he can tell there's something primal and a little wild happening underneath his skin.

He needs to get his mouth on Shiro like he needs air to breathe and water to drink.

He's pictured this often, ever since the first night he and Shiro spent together in his quarters at the Garrison. He knows he would've stopped himself from giving in to the urge back then… but not now. Not tonight.

Shiro needs him, and Keith is going to show him exactly how much he wants him in return.

He gets his hands underneath Shiro's thighs and bends down to hoist Shiro's legs over his shoulders.

He shifts onto his stomach and looks up at Shiro's face, checking for reassurance.

Shiro looks enamored. His eyes are bright, and he's tongueing at his lower lip, at the spot where Keith bit him.

Keith holds his gaze and kisses gently at his inner thigh.

Shiro's eyelashes flutter. He nods subtly, maybe unconsciously.

Keith kisses him there one more time… then shifts further down.

He gets his fingers and thumb around Shiro's cock and balls, holds them carefully to the side, and puts his mouth on the soft, supple skin underneath.

_"Oh--"_

Keith licks and suckles, inhaling deeply, trying to flood his senses with Shiro's taste, with his smell. This is it, the drug Keith is high on. This is what he craves. The closeness, the intimacy, the trust Shiro has in him… and the rich, heady, saltwater taste of Shiro's skin.

"Oh, God, _Keith…"_

Shiro arches away from the bed. His heels dig into Keith's back.

Keith moans and laps wetly at Shiro's skin. He kisses and sucks, nosing at Shiro's balls… and then he closes his eyes and licks slowly over Shiro's hole.

_"Hah--!_ Oh, baby…"

Keith lets out a satisfied sigh. He kisses Shiro's puckered skin and licks him again, trying to drown himself in Shiro's scent. He can feel Shiro's pleasure in the tension of his body and the touch of his fingers as they comb through his hair. He can hear it in Shiro's voice.

"You wanted me to," he says, his lips still touching Shiro's skin. "I could tell. Because you're mine."

Shiro makes a pleading, affirmative sound.

"I do want you to," he says, "and I am, I'm yours, Keith-- _ah--"_

Keith is licking over and around Shiro's hole, getting him wet, testing out the slide of his tongue. He's reading Shiro's responses, too- every shift in the tension of his thighs, every uneven breath, every change in the pitch and quality of his voice. Shiro grips his hair every time Keith does something he likes, though he stops just short of guiding Keith's movement- and that realization has Keith growling quietly with pleasure and leaking pre all over the bed.

He can please Shiro, and Shiro trusts him to do just that.

He forces the tip of his tongue inside Shiro's hole.

He basks in the sounds of Shiro's pleasure, sucking and working at him, licking and prodding and _kneading_ with his tongue, and Shiro arches and gasps, hugging him close with his legs. Keith breathes deep as the tension starts to ease, as Shiro's body starts to open for him… and then he thrusts his tongue harder, _deeper-_

_"Jesus--"_ Shiro's thighs tremble. "Holy-- fucking-- _Keith…"_

Keith works his tongue and sucks at Shiro’s skin, grinding himself _hard_ against the bed-

_"Ahah-- ah--!_ Like that like that _like that--"_

Pleasure sweeps down Keith's spine, so sudden and intense that he almost comes all over his sheets. He grasps at Shiro's hip and staves his climax off, but he knows what he has to do, he knows what both their bodies need…

He pulls away and sits up on his knees.

He moves Shiro's legs down from his shoulders and wraps them around his waist instead.

He looks at Shiro's face, at his reddened cheeks and shining eyes and open mouth, at the shallow rise and fall off his chest- and the urgency only builds.

"You trust me?" he asks, his voice low and rough.

"Yes," Shiro breathes- no hesitation, no qualification.

Keith nods.

He wraps his hand around his aching dick and slides his cockhead over Shiro's hole, through the mess of his spit.

"Tell me," he says.

Shiro moans, rocks his hips up to chase Keith's touch.

"I trust you," he says. He slides his knee up and down Keith's side while Keith slides his dick over his hole. "I trust you with everything I have, Keith, more than I've ever trusted anyone…"

Keith's vision swims. He pumps up and down his shaft, watching his cockhead catch on Shiro's rim- once, twice, harder, _faster-_

He comes with a groan, spilling cum all over Shiro's hole. The climax is shallow, but still deliciously satisfying, a release of _need_ and affection that he wants Shiro to see.

"Oh, baby, _yes…"_

Shiro grinds against his pulsing dick, his thighs squeezing tight around Keith's middle, and Keith watches for a minute, breathing through his orgasm, taking in the sight of Shiro's cock throbbing and leaking where it's resting on his lower belly…

"Shiro," he breathes, rocking his hips to get more friction on his dick. "So beautiful… and you taste so fucking good to me…"

It's an effort, but he lets go of his cock and touches Shiro with his fingers instead. He gathers up his spend and spreads it carefully around Shiro's hole, glancing up to catch Shiro's expression as he dips a finger inside-

_"Oh,"_ Shiro gasps, nodding. "Yeah, sweetheart, please, that's good…"

Keith smiles. He presses deeper, getting Shiro wet, testing the resistance with one careful finger. He feels warm all over, like he did on the nights he and Shiro spent in bed together under the covers. His confidence grows with every second he spends between Shiro's thighs, giving Shiro pleasure, getting him ready.

"Soft," he murmurs, massaging into Shiro's insides. "So soft… so hot inside…"

Shiro nods, rocking his hips in tiny thrusts to match him.

"For you," he says. "That feels so good, Keith…"

Keith pulls out, pushes more of his cum inside- again and again until Shiro's soaking wet and inviting him in, rocking on two of his fingers while his dick strains and leaks. Keith is harder than ever, but all his focus is on Shiro. He fingers him patiently, lovingly, breathing in time with the rise and fall of his chest, and Shiro moans and smiles for him, throbs for him, reaches for him.

"Sweetheart." Shiro finds Keith's right hand and tangles their fingers together. "Please…"

Keith nods. He thinks Shiro could use more prep, but it isn't what Shiro wants, and Keith knows what to do anyhow.

He pulls his fingers out slowly.

He bends down low, close to Shiro's face, and pins Shiro's hand up next to his head, keeping their fingers clasped together all the while.

He reaches between them and rubs slowly over Shiro's hole with his cockhead.

Shiro breathes in a tiny gasp. He nods.

Keith focuses all his senses on Shiro- on the angle of his brow and the curve of his mouth, on the tension in his thighs and the pressure of his fingers.

He presses forward and _in,_ breaching his rim, penetrating him for the very first time…

_"O-oh,"_ he breathes, shivering as he's met with heat and pressure like he's never felt before. Shiro's blinking up at him, breathless but nodding his head, so Keith presses further in, moving slow, watching as carefully as he can to make sure Shiro feels good and safe…

_"Keith,"_ Shiro says, all quiet and broken. He reaches up and weaves his fingers through Keith's hair, his hand trembling subtly. His thighs tense a bit, so Keith pauses, somewhere near halfway to bottoming out. He tries to hold still, but the slick squeeze is so good, so _right,_ he can't stop his dick from throbbing at the pleasure of it. Shiro grunts when the feeling registers, his expression tense with pleasure-pain, and Keith feels his senses sharpen and his spine start to tingle.

He closes the distance between them and kisses Shiro's lips. It's just a soft, sweet press at first, just enough to draw Shiro away from the discomfort- and that does the trick. Shiro holds him steady by his hair and licks into his mouth, kissing him passionately, just like he had that night in the cabin. Keith shouldn't be surprised - Shiro has always been expressive, has always worn his passion on his sleeve when it comes to the things he loves - but he’s still getting used to being on the receiving end of so much intensity and _love._ Shiro kisses like he never wants to stop, like he wants to hold Keith like this forever, like he's filled to the brim with emotion just being here with him like this… and Keith answers with a deep, white-hot passion of his own.

He licks at Shiro's tongue and holds Shiro's hand tight against the mattress.

He rocks his hips in tiny, gentle, experimental motions, trying to ease Shiro through the stretch…

And Shiro moves to meet him, rolling his hips to take him deeper.

_"Mmnnhh…"_

Keith gives him space to breathe. He kisses and nuzzles at his cheek.

"Shiro," he murmurs, reading the _want_ in his voice. "I can get you wet, I can make you feel better…"

Shiro nods, still rocking up to meet him.

"Please," he says. "Please Keith, it's-- it's so good but I--"

"I know," Keith purrs. "I can feel you. I've got you, Shiro, I promise."

_"Yeah,"_ Shiro whines. He digs his heels into Keith's lower back. "I feel you too, just like I wanted you, just like I thought about so many times…"

Keith takes that in and lets it settle, those pretty words he so desperately wants to hear. He mouths at Shiro's jaw and then nips at his neck, tasting his skin, letting the pressure at the base of his dick build and burn-

_"Ah--"_ Shiro shivers at the throbbing of him. "Yes, baby, _please--"_

Keith licks and _sucks_ and rocks himself deeper and _deeper_ -

He comes, his teeth dug firmly into the side of Shiro's neck. They groan together, and Keith rides it out with shallow thrusts, using his spend to slick the way, to ease the stretch and work himself further inside-

_"Nnhn-- yeah--!"_ Shiro sounds euphoric. "Yeah, baby, I can take you-- _Jesus, Keith- don't stop--"_

Keith lets out a triumphant growl and rocks himself forward, _forward,_ until he's buried inside Shiro to the hilt. They both pause for a moment when he bottoms out, moaning in unison, settling into this new dimension of their coming-together- and then they start to move. They slip wordlessly into slow, deep fucking, watching each other's eyes at first, then kissing just as slowly, just as sensually. Two orgasms deep, Keith's body is buzzing with sustained pleasure- but it feels different than when Shiro was the one on top of him in bed. His senses are sharp, his body loose and ready for whatever Shiro needs from him. He feels alert, present, in control.

He feels more confident than he ever has in his life. More than when he was breaking Shiro’s records at the Garrison. More than when they won their first battle in their Lions.

He was made for this, and his body knows it.

He gets his hand on Shiro’s chest and _squeezes._

_“Hhah--!”_

Shiro throws his head back and groans, open-mouthed and gorgeous, and Keith doesn’t stop. He remembers. He remembers every second he’s spent in bed with Shiro, learning how to care for him, memorizing his body.

He drags his mouth down to the other side of Shiro’s chest and laps over his nipple, digging into his pec with his cheek and his chin-

_“Oh shit-- oh my God--”_

He rubs his lips over the hardened bead, still working Shiro’s other pec with his hand-

“Fucking-- _nnhhh-- baby--”_

He closes his lips around Shiro’s nipple and starts to _suck-_

_“Yeah please please like that like that oh fuck--”_

He rocks his hips a little faster, a little _harder,_ suckling and teasing with his lips and teeth and tongue, kneading into Shiro’s chest with his palm and his fingers. He takes in every shake and shudder of Shiro’s body and every strained, lovely note of his voice, and Shiro arches underneath him, still trying to match his thrusts even as his body grows hard and tight, digging calloused fingertips into his back.

“Keith- _ah-!”_ His thighs clench around Keith’s waist. His whole body shivers. “Keith-- _h-harder--”_

Keith’s senses sharpen at that. He knows he could make Shiro come like this. He can sense the build of his orgasm, the same way he can sense the presence of his knife in the drawer under his bed. But this isn’t just about climax, he realizes. Shiro wants to _be_ with him, to _feel_ him.

Shiro wants to feel _Keith_ and nothing else.

Keith props himself up on one forearm to see Shiro’s face. He’ll do what Shiro’s asking - he wants this, too - but he won’t risk causing Shiro pain. He would never risk that.

"I'll go harder," he says. "I'll do anything you need, love."

He pulls out halfway, shifts his weight onto his forearm, and _snaps_ his hips forward, plunging _all the way back in_ -

_"Hhah-!"_

_Snap snap snap-_

He doesn't stop, because Shiro is nodding, grabbing for him, crying out with every sharp thrust of his hips-

_"Keith--!"_

_"Shiro,"_ Keith groans, rolling his neck, fucking Shiro fast and deep. "I'll be good for you-- I'll do it just right--"

"You are," Shiro cries, gripping tight to a handful of his hair. "It's so perfect and I-- I can take more because-- _fuck, I need to feel you, I need you baby, please--!"_

Keith nods, choking on a muffled cry of his own. He gets his hand underneath Shiro's thigh and forces it forward to pin his knee up by his chest, and then he fucks into Shiro with _force._ He tries to wall himself off from the pleasure, to make sure he stays in control for Shiro’s sake- but it’s no easy task. Shiro is exquisite underneath him, writhing and arching and chanting his name, reaching for him like he’s straining toward the light of a star. Shiro is _hot_ and _tight_ and _squeezing_ all around him, crushing him with sensation so intense, Keith has to grit his teeth to keep from giving in to it. He focuses on Shiro instead, on the heaving of his chest and the tears shining in his eyes, on the redness of his lips and the tension in his stomach, on the lewd _slap_ of his skin every time their bodies collide-

_“Keith--”_ Shiro’s voice breaks over the word. “Keith, you’re-- _perfect-- AH--”_

Shiro’s legs lock up around Keith’s middle. He bucks and cries out and grabs at Keith’s forearm, and then he _comes_ , entirely untouched, his cock jumping and spilling all over his stomach-

_“Oh,”_ Keith groans. “Oh, God, _Shiro--”_

“Come on,” Shiro gasps, gripping tight to Keith’s arm. “Come on baby _please come for me I need you to--”_

Keith shudders and gasps and lets the walls of his control come crashing down. He did this, he brought Shiro to his bliss, and Shiro is calling for him now, blinking up at him with his eyes shining bright and his mouth open wide-

Keith buries himself deep and _comes._ He falls forward onto Shiro’s chest, and Shiro is there to catch him, to gather him up with both arms and legs, to hold him tight while he shakes entirely apart. He knows it’s only his cock that’s being squeezed and milked by Shiro’s body, but he feels the heat and the pleasure all over, as if the fire between them has finally burned right through his skin and consumed him.

The burning is ecstasy. He and Shiro are two stars collapsing into each other, becoming something new.

Keith closes his eyes and buries his face in Shiro's chest, lost in blistering flames and radiant light.

* * *

When Keith comes back to himself, Shiro is combing gently through his hair. They're chest-to-chest and naked, holding each other close. Keith's face is tucked against Shiro's throat.

He kisses Shiro there, lightly. It seems like the thing to do.

"Hey," Shiro says, his voice quiet and scratchy. "Still with me?"

Keith nods. He moves one hand along the sharp line of Shiro's shoulder blade.

"Are you all right?" he asks. "Was it okay?"

Shiro makes a disbelieving sound. He cuddles Keith closer, pulling one of Keith's thighs up over his hip.

"Keith, please believe me when I say… it was the most incredible thing I’ve ever felt."

Keith smiles. He'd thought so, but he still needed to check. His senses have dulled, his instincts quieted for the moment.

"Incredible is good," he says. "That's about what I was aiming for."

Shiro goes on touching through his hair, tucking stray strands behind his ear.

"Baby… you said you've never done that before?"

Keith hugs Shiro a little tighter. He knows he's not being accused of anything. He knows Shiro trusts him.

But he also knows why Shiro's asking, and he's afraid of what it could mean. He’s afraid of what Shiro might say if he looks too closely at all the ways Keith is _different._

"Never," Keith says. "You're the only person I've ever had sex with. Any kind of sex."

"I believe you," Shiro says. "But… how did you _do_ that? You were-- it was-- Keith, sweetheart, you were _perfect."_

Keith clears his throat. He can't put this off any longer. Not after Shiro decided to trust him like this tonight.

"I can… _feel_ you," he says. "I can sense things when we're together. It's like an instinct. Like I just _know."_

"Like when you fly," Shiro says. It's not a question. He doesn’t sound concerned.

He sounds like he understands.

"Yeah,” Keith says. “It's a lot like that. With flying, it's like I can picture it all- the plane and everything it can do, and the Earth and the air. Every possible obstacle. Every move I need to make. And when I get close to you… when I can feel you and smell you, and… _taste_ you…" He nuzzles underneath Shiro's chin. "Yeah," he says. "It’s like flying, being with you. But it's better. It's so much better than that."

Shiro twists a lock of Keith's hair around his finger.

"I've never felt anything like that," Shiro says. "No one’s ever--"

He pauses.

He doesn't finish at first. He presses his face into Keith’s hair and breathes in slowly. Keith can feel the shape of his nose and his mouth.

“There’s this… _spark,”_ Shiro finally says. “When I’m with you, it’s like… fire.”

Keith nods. Shiro isn’t afraid, he isn’t worried. Shiro still loves him.

“I think of fire, too,” Keith says.

“Even at the Garrison,” Shiro goes on. “Even when it was such a risk for both of us. I just… I _knew._ Like you said. I knew I was supposed to love you. I should’ve waited, I should’ve been patient, but then I thought about what would happen if something went wrong on the mission… if I never got a chance to show you…”

“It was a risk,” Keith agrees. “I knew I could’ve been expelled if anyone found out. I knew my career would’ve been over. And you know what I realized?” He moves until he's resting on the pillow too, looking in Shiro's eyes. "The Garrison was only home when you were there," he says. "I love to fly… but I only wanted that career because I wanted to make you proud. I was glad when I got expelled. I knew there was something else out there for me, and… _Shiro._ Voltron? The Red Lion? This is it. This is where I'm supposed to be. And I want you with me… but I would want this regardless." He shakes his head a little. "I've never had a purpose before. Except for you."

Shiro is smiling at him. He looks infinitely fond.

"Two years ago I would've told you everything you just told me," he says. "That you need your own reason. Your own path. But you know what kept me alive when I was a prisoner?" He reaches up to touch the corner of Keith's mouth with his fingertip. _"You._ I had to get home to you. I had to see you again. I had to be there to see every incredible thing you're going to do. And if anyone can win this war, Keith… it's you."

Keith blinks.

"No. It's _you,_ Shiro. You're our commander, our leader-"

"And you're my heart," Shiro says. "You're my fire. My reason."

Keith forgets how to draw air into his lungs. He watches Shiro's quicksilver eyes while the words take hold of him… and when the emotion building inside him grows too great, he closes the distance between them and kisses Shiro's lips. He tries to temper his urgency at first, but Shiro wraps him up in a fierce embrace, and Keith can't hide it, can't hold what he feels inside himself-

_"Shiro."_ He nips and kisses at Shiro's cheek. _"I know it's late, I know we should sleep--"_

_"No."_

Shiro rolls him onto his back and holds him there with all of his weight, tangling their fingers together, moving his mouth down the line of Keith's neck.

_"Not yet, baby,"_ he says. _"Not yet."_

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all, I hope you enjoyed this extra time with Shiro and Keith from "Keep the Fire Going for Me!" If you did, please leave me a comment to let me know, or [find me on Twitter!](https://twitter.com/forfelurian)
> 
> Love,  
> Fel


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